Monday, January 5, 2009

So you started blogging, or you want to start, but you need motivation. After plugging away at this blog for the past 2 years here are my motivating tips.

1. Find a Muse and just write a lotDo you have a business? Do you have a lot of clients and contacts? Do you have an interesting hobby or project? A baby? Do you travel a lot? Are you into the news or politics? Do you shop a lot? Pick a topic and don't be shy. The more you post, the more you'll think about blogging, and the more you'll get into the flow.

2. See who reads your blog, add Google AnalyticsIt's really easy, you cut and paste a small snippet of code from Analytics into your blog template and voila! See who visits your blog, where they are from, and which posts are their favorites. See how search engines connect you to your readers. Get Analytics here.

3. Talk about your blog, old school style promotionI've found that I can use my blog as a conversation topic at parties, with friends, at work etc. Now instead of talking about a TV show over the water cooler I'm sharing blogs of interest, and my own blog with people. Believe me, you'll post more often when you know you've told all your friends about your blog.

4. Keep the conversation going, comment and link to other people and websitesDon't be a selfish blogger, give a little quid pro quo. Read other peoples blogs and comment as well as you can (don't just drop comments so you can get links back to you). Keep relevant conversations going and make friends you've never met. Link to your blog in Facebook or LinkedIn. Register you blog on Outside.in so your neighbors can find you. More = more online. Have you seen my friend's blog The Breakaway Cook?

5. Turn your snapshots into blog postsDo you like to take a lot of photos? Are you constantly scouring the web for interesting pictures? You actually don't need so write anything. There are a lot of very successful blogs which are more photos than words. Cute Overload is an awesome example of this.

Who is IG?

Designer, artist, cultural anthropologist, foodie.
By day, I'm a "User Experience Designer" which is a fancy way of saying I design software interfaces. When not on the clock, I like to experience life and culture. My design portfolio - badly in need of a redesign - is at http://www.studioroom.com.